During 2004, Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco went into the streets to talk with the homeless, even counseling some during a walk in the Tenderloin area.

During 2004, Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco went into the streets to talk with the homeless, even counseling some during a walk in the Tenderloin area.

Photo: The Chronicle

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Outside the Empress Hotel on Eddy Street, Mayor Newsom and a homeless person got into a discussion about personal records being kept for the hotel tenants under Care Not Cash programs.

Outside the Empress Hotel on Eddy Street, Mayor Newsom and a homeless person got into a discussion about personal records being kept for the hotel tenants under Care Not Cash programs.

Photo: The Chronicle

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Harold (left), a longtime homeless man, wakes in the morning with other homeless outside a motel on Mission Street. It has been ten years since the Care Not Cash program was initiated to end chronic homelessness but the results have not been as hoped. less

Harold (left), a longtime homeless man, wakes in the morning with other homeless outside a motel on Mission Street. It has been ten years since the Care Not Cash program was initiated to end chronic ... more

Photo: The Chronicle

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On any given day, a number of people can be seen sleeping in the City Hall park area during daylight hours.

On any given day, a number of people can be seen sleeping in the City Hall park area during daylight hours.

Photo: San Francisco Chronicle

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Vina Villegas wheels her way up 12th Street after panhandling in the stopped traffic nearby. It has been more than ten years since a San Francisco Chronicle profile on the homeless people who lived and panhandled near a traffic island on South Van Ness. less

Vina Villegas wheels her way up 12th Street after panhandling in the stopped traffic nearby. It has been more than ten years since a San Francisco Chronicle profile on the homeless people who lived and ... more

Photo: The Chronicle

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Dave, a homeless man for ten years in San Francisco, pushed his cart past the Bill Graham auditorium.

Dave, a homeless man for ten years in San Francisco, pushed his cart past the Bill Graham auditorium.

The San Francisco Giants saluted Project Homeless Connect (a homeless services gathering) in 2006. Here, Georgia Mitchell is joined by Mayor Gavin Newsom. She threw out the first pitch and became a kind of postergirl for homeless in San Francisco. less

The San Francisco Giants saluted Project Homeless Connect (a homeless services gathering) in 2006. Here, Georgia Mitchell is joined by Mayor Gavin Newsom. She threw out the first pitch and became a kind of ... more

Photo: The Chronicle

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Today marks the 10th anniversary of Gavin Newsom's pledge to end chronic homelessness in 10 years

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Ten years ago today, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom promised that San Francisco’s seemingly unsolvable homeless problem would be cleared away in 10 years.

On June 30, 2004, Newsom unveiled his Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, a 70-page opus written by former Supervisor Angela Alioto and more than 30 other city officials, homeless advocates, business leaders and others. Newsom and the plan’s writers believed that by today, the city’s 3,000 chronically homeless people — the longest-term, most in-your-face transients — would have been brought inside and housed. Newcomers to the streets would be dealt with quickly. And emergency shelters would cease to exist, because nobody would need them.

While some progress has been made, a quick walk around the Tenderloin, Mid-Market or Union Square shows chronic homelessness is far from over. In fact, there are roughly 2,000 chronically homeless people still on the streets — and the total number of homeless people is up slightly since 2005.

The Chronicle interviewed Newsom, Alioto, Mayor Ed Lee, other city officials, homeless advocates and homeless people themselves to find out where the plan worked and where it didn’t — and why. What happened to the hardcore homeless who were on the streets 10 years ago? Where does the city go from here? Surprisingly, there’s a model city that’s doing it right: Salt Lake City. What lessons can we take from it?